


(Not) The Woman I Fell in Love With

by Anonymous



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Blindfolds, Cunnilingus, Do Not Archive, Dubious Consent Due To Identity Issues, F/M, Gags, Gaslighting, Handcuffs, Knifeplay, Other, Painplay, Panic Attacks, Scar Worship, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Unhealthy Relationships, accidentally sleeping with a monster, this is going to get weird
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-20
Updated: 2019-05-20
Packaged: 2019-08-26 08:39:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16678270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Sasha spotted Tim looking more than a bit shell shocked in the kitchenette. The seat opposite him was open so she took it. He broke off his staring contest with the wall to met her eyes with his own.Tim’s face held an expression Sasha was having trouble decoding. Exhaustion was clearly a large part of but layered over top was a mix of pain, fondness, and more than a little regret. She should probably say something. Sasha would say something.She squeezed his hand and cocked her head slightly to the right. “What is it?”Not!Sasha exploits Tim's past relationship with Sasha





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't know I shipped this and then suddenly I did

“Hello?”

Dull as first words go, but it could have been worse

“I see you.”

Sliding into a new form was difficult, especially so long after the last time. And that damned table wasn’t making things any easier. Sasha focused on the solid edges of her new self as it settled into place. The curve of her hips, her short mop of curly, brown hair falling into sharp green eyes. Well, not so sharp at the moment- the glasses would have to go- she won’t be needing them any longer.

She took two confident steps into the world. The memories Sasha James accumulated in her brief time on this planet became hers starting with the delicious fear of her last moments and moving backwards into early childhood. It would be a while before she got them all sorted but she _saw_ Sasha. Who she was and who she never will be again.

This time, when she spoke, it was to a dead woman and the god she unknowingly served. The eye that did nothing but watch as she was consumed and replaced.

“I see you.”

The recorder in her hands was a curious thing. The part of her that hated the Eye wanted to smash it and the tape within to bits but something about this place wouldn’t let her. Plenty of nooks and crannies in a building this old though. She was sure she could find a place. After all, Jon always said she was the resourceful one.

 

====

 

The light from his cell phone didn’t penetrate the dark of the tunnels like it should. Either that or his vision was going dark around the edges again. It was hard to tell for sure. He’d lost count of the CO2 canisters he’d used, that was probably a bad sign as far as his lungs were concerned.

Tim hadn’t seen any worms in the last few minutes. He hoped that trend lasted as he was down to his last extinguisher. The indicator on his phone read sixty-eight percent battery so at least he should have the torch for a while longer. Good thing he hadn’t spent his lunch catching watching videos, then he’d be proper fucked.

His burst of laughter echoed off the tunnel walls and returned to him multiplied and sinister. He had to clamp a hand over his mouth to keep back the hysterical waves that threatened to spill out of him. It was probably the gas that made everything so goddamn funny. He had to get out of these fucking tunnels.

“Ha, fucking tunnels. Tunnel fuck.” He shook the thought away. “Goddammit, Tim, get a hold of yourself!”

He had to find a way out or a way back. The walls had changed texture from time to time and there had been several branches but he can’t recall if he’d seen that wall or archway, or intersection before. For all he knows he’s going in circles and is about to stumble into another of Prentiss’ squirming hordes. He shivers at the half remembered portal room and clutches his remaining extinguisher tighter.

Oh, god, Sasha. He’d left her. She saved him to thank her for it he'd abandoned her. She got out, of course she got out. It’s Sasha. She made it out of the Archives and up to Elias. She’s fine and help is on the way. That has to be it. Tim can’t bear to think of Sasha cornered by Prentiss, of worms surging toward her, enveloping, devouring--

Voices.

That’s new. Is he hallucinating now?

Who the fuck cares, worms don’t talk so might as well. At least it’s not screaming. Tim squints in the torchlight and tries to hear better. The absurdity of _squinting_ to _hear_ makes him bite back another fit of giggles. He settled to quote Ghostbusters under his breath instead, “listen, do you smell something?”

He did actually, smell something. If he got out of here he would probably smell like rotting earth for days.

Definitely voices. And nothing like whatever gurgled out of Prentiss in that frozen moment of terror. Human voices. He pressed his ear against the wall and was surprised to find plaster and not stone. He reckoned he could break that down without too much trouble and it’s a far better option that staying here.

Tim hefted the red, steel cylinder and bashed it against the wall.

 

====

 

Seeing the two men lying unconscious on the floor of the Archives, she was tempted to just leave them there to die. No one would question it if she was too late to save them. Nothing she could have done, a terrible tragedy, senseless loss of life, and all that.

It wouldn’t change much, Elias would have a fresh Archivist within the month. Better to deal with the one she knew. The other one, Tim, had a fondness for her and _that_ could be entertaining. And this way, the Archivist, and possibly Elias, would be in her debt.

It was a shame that this version of Sasha James wasn’t stronger. Human bodies and their weaknesses she supposed when she nearly passed out herself in the process of dragging them both to fresher air. They were a mess with blood and dead worms. Subtlety was never a quality the Filth put much stock in.

Elias appeared soon after with ECDC on his heels. Jon and Tim were taken away. There were questions asked and answers given. Everyone was very understanding if she had to hesitate before speaking. It had clearly been a very long day for her after all, she was lucky to be alive.

So far, no one had recognized her for what she was. Elias seemed to have an inkling that something was amiss but he had larger concerns what with his temple in disarray and his Archivist in quarantine. And then there was that business with Gertrude Robinson’s corpse.

Sasha spent a few hours quietly sifting through her new memories and planning her approach. She was glad she listened to the tape before stashing it safely away as Jon was insistent they all give statements when he got back. The compulsion she’d heard so much about was non existent, barely a whisper if it was there at all. This one _was_ green. It would hardly be a challenge at all.

 

===

 

“What can I say, I’m itching to get out of here.”

The woman in the orange hazmat suit turned back to face him. “What was that, Mr. Stoker?”

“I said--” he thought better of it. “Never mind, it doesn’t matter.”

“You mentioned, itching. Are you experiencing any itching or sub-dermal sensation of any kind?” She motioned to her colleague to come join her.

“We can’t risk an infection of this magnitude to reach the general public. You’re very lucky to have sustained relatively minor injuries but we have to be sure we haven’t missed something more subtle.”

“You two must be a real hit at parties.” Tim deflated when neither doctor responded to his joke. “It’s fine, really. I just want all this to be over so I can go home and get some sleep.”

“I understand, but in this case I have a duty to the greater public health. Please remove your shirt again, Mr. Stoker.”

 

===

 

Sasha spotted Tim looking more than a bit shell shocked in the kitchenette. The seat opposite him was open so she took it. He broke off his staring contest with the wall to met her eyes with his own.

“Hey,” he said weakly.

“Hey yourself.” Sasha reached out a hand to Tim. He took it in his left, the less worm eaten of the two.

Tim’s face held an expression Sasha was having trouble decoding. Exhaustion was clearly a large part of but layered over top was a mix of pain, fondness, and more than a little regret. She should probably say something. Sasha would say something.

She squeezed his hand and cocked her head slightly to the right. “What is it?”

“I’m sorry.” He ducked his head, looking like he might cry. “For leaving you.”

“There were worms we cou--”

“Sasha, I don’t know if I could live with myself if you had been hurt or… worse.”

“Tim,” she lifted his chin with her free hand, “I’m fine. Nothing but a few spooks and startles. _You’re_ the one that got hurt. If anyone should be sorry, it’s me.”

“No, I know it’s stupid. I just--” Tim took a steadying breath. “You know what, it’s fine, we’re fine.” He looked down at the various plasters and gauzes. “Mostly.”

“Scars are hot.” Sasha leaned across the table and planted her lips on Tim’s. He relaxed into the kiss and parted his lips against the press of her tongue.

Tim pulled away, a little breathless. “Seems like they are.” He brushed a curl behind her ear. “Do you want to get out of here? I don’t know about you, but after the day I’ve had, I could really go for a drink”

“Anywhere but here. I don’t think I can stand another minute in this place.”

 

===

 

They skipped the pub and went straight back to Tim’s place. Sasha had her hands in his hair and her lips on his before he had gotten the door fully closed. It took more willpower than he thought he had to break off for long enough to shut and lock the door behind them.

It wasn’t their first time sleeping together, back when he was in research and she was in Artefact Storage they had hooked up a few times. It never managed to get serious and once they’d both been assigned to the Archives it seemed like a bad idea to continue seeing each other while working in the same department.

If the tongue down his throat was anything to go by, it would seem that Sasha had changed her mind about workplace hookups and he was in full agreement. After a near death experience it was only natural that the both of them needed some life affirming stress release. And damn if she wasn't good at this.

Tim awkwardly kicked off his shoes, losing his footing for a moment as his knee buckled beneath him. Sasha got under his arm to steady him.

“You okay? Do we need to stop?”

“No, it’s just,” he waved to his head and his leg, “more than a few bites on my legs and I guess I’m still a bit light headed.” He kissed her forehead. “I’ll be fine.”

The look that crossed her face was… odd. It almost looked like an AI calculating its next response but it was gone in a flash and Sasha was working his shirt free of his trousers and running her fingers up his chest. He flinched back with a hiss of pain as she brushed against a bandage.

He leaned down to kiss the look of apology off her face. They fell back into their frenzied pace and before long they made it to the bedroom, a trail of shed clothing in their wake. Tim bypassed the bed entirely to press Sasha against the far wall. She ran her hands through her hair as he mouthed against her neck and shoulder, working his way down to run his tongue around her nipple.  

Sasha was soft and warm and so goddamned _alive_ under his hands. Ignoring the tug of bandages on his back, he sank to his knees in front of her. The urgency had bled from his actions as he placed delicate kisses from her navel to the mound of curls between her legs. She shifted her legs wider apart for him as his tongue dipped inside.

He started out with slow, languid strokes, the tip of his tongue circling her clit with each pass. Sasha’s moans of pleasure sent shivers down his spine. He loved it when his partners were vocal with their enjoyment, every note sent another wave of heat to his groin.

Fingers tangled in his hair holding him in place as Sasha thrust her hips against his face. As much as he wanted to tease her and draw out the delicious noises she was making for a while longer, it was clear she was ready. He focused his attention on her clit, alternating between quick motion and slow pressure. Before long she was clenching her hand in his scalp and pulling in great gasps of air.

She released him and leaned heavily against the wall catching her breath. Tim planted a final kiss between her legs and sat back on his heels with a sigh.

“I’d forgotten how good you were at that.”

“I am to please,” Tim beamed wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

She offered him a hand up when it became clear he was struggling to stand. His arousal was masking the pain but not enough to keep going. Tim winced as she pulled him from the floor.

“I’m going to brush my teeth and re-up on painkillers. You want anything?”

“Just for you not to be gone for too long,” she gave his ass a squeeze.

“I think I can manage.”  

 

===

 

Sasha did her best not to look bored. It’s not that she wasn’t enjoying herself, Tim was more than a capable lover. It's just that she would have preferred something less… safe. Not safe in the way that Tim's cock was wrapped in a condom, safety in every other sense of the word. Normal was what he needed after his encounter and Sasha was willing to indulge him. If she played this right, there would be time enough for her to draw him into activities that better held her interest.

A smile spread across her face as she imagined all the things she could do to the man straddling her; things she would eventually beg for despite his best interests. This was going to be fun.

Tim rolled his hips into hers and leaned down to devour her smile. Cool mint from his toothpaste lingered in her mouth as she took his lower lip between her teeth. She longed to contrast it with the heat and metallic tang of blood. Maybe next time. She let him pull away unharmed.

He was clearly hurting but trying to hide it. It was obvious from clench of his jaw that each thrust jostled his injuries in unpleasant ways though he kept going almost in spite of it. She shifted just enough to grip his shoulders like an anchor, her left hand closing around a bandaged wound. Tim’s rhythm faltered as he gasped in pain but Sasha kept going, rocking against him faster than before.

It was tempting to let her body warp and stretch as she felt him approached climax just to watch his eyes go wide with disbelief and horror as he came. For now she would satisfy herself with his pain as she buried her face in the crook of his neck and rode him through his orgasm. Fear would come later.

Sasha was in it for the long game.


	2. Chapter 2

The first thing Sasha noticed about Tim when he came back to work was how he avoided looking at her. He was so nervous, so worried around her that she knew she’d made the right choice in leaving once he’d finally fallen into a fitful sleep weeks ago. It was clear that this was something that had been eating at him for a while. It wouldn’t last though, eventually he would move on and things would return to normal. She would have to make her next move soon. 

It was difficult to get him alone, Martin kept hovering around him like a mother hen.  _ That _ one would be so easy to break it was hardly worth the effort. The Archivist would be another easy target, he didn’t even know what he was, but she had a job to do and that meant keeping a low profile from the Eye. Best to focus on Tim for now. 

Sasha got her chance at day’s end as he was preparing to leave. She approached from behind, stepping lightly so he wouldn’t hear and placed herself just to one side on the edge of his vision and waited. He startled beautifully when he finally saw her. 

She put on her best concerned face, she had been practicing. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” 

“No, it’s fine, It’s my fault. I wasn’t paying attention.” 

“How are you settling back in?”

“Oh, you know,” he gestured to the mess of his desk. “It’s good to be back, I suppose.” 

“Tim,” Sasha paused, “you’ve been avoiding me and it’s not just today. Is something wrong?”

His eyes widened slightly, he wasn’t prepared to have this conversation so soon. “I, um, well after… and when we transferred down here…” He furrowed his brow, grasping for words. “I was giving you some space.”

She looked confused. “You’re the one who had the traumatic experience, why would I be the one to need space?”

“I thought you might regret what happened and I didn’t want to make things weird between us.”

“Of course I don’t regret it and the only thing that’s weird is how you won’t look at me.” 

Tim met her eyes with a hint of embarrassment. His hair had grown out since he’d been away. He wore his fringe low over his forehead, covering as much of his face as he could. “Better?”

“I take it back, the weird thing is what you’ve done with your hair.” She swept it away from his face, revealing scars in various stages of healing. He took a step away and shook his hair back into position. “What?”

“I’m not-- I don’t recognize the person looking back at mean in the mirror right now.” 

So he was sensitive about his scars, she could work with that. Sasha’s lips spread in an indulgent smile. “That’s because you can’t see him under all that hair. Let me take you out for a welcome back dinner and maybe after I can persuade you to let me cut your hair.” 

“Yes to the first and I’ll think about the second.” 

“At the very least, you need to style it differently. You look like--”

“I said, I’ll think about it.”

“That’s all I ask.”

 

====

 

He wasn’t willing to let Sasha actually cut his hair so they compromised in the best way possible. Sasha’s fingers massaging shampoo into his scalp had been heavenly and as long as they were both naked in the shower... Though if they were going to make it a regular thing, Tim was going to have to pick up some anti-slip stickers before one of them fell and busted their head on the side of the tub trying to get more leverage. 

Turned out that dinner was pizza delivered to his flat around 10pm and eaten on the couch. They didn’t make it to a restaurant after all, it was starting to become a habit with them. He would have offered to cook something but hadn’t been to the store in a while. There wasn’t much in beyond instant noodles and an open box of baking soda in the refrigerator. 

Tim adjusted his bathrobe and reached for another piece, stretching the cheese as he pulled. Sasha sat naked on the couch next to him, the towel she’d worn to cover up when the food arrived lay discarded over the armrest. He envied how comfortable she was in her own skin and wished he still felt the same about his own. 

“Hey,” she said, taking the pizza out of his hand and putting it back in the box. “Not so fast. Save that for later. You don’t want a belly full of grease for round two.”

She climbed into his lap and wiped the sauce from the corner of his mouth and offered it to him. He took her thumb in his mouth and licked it clean. He moved from one finger to the next, savoring each one. He caught her other hand by the wrist when he felt her push the robe aside. 

“Don’t,” he said.

“If it’s about the scars, they don’t bother me.” 

“I’m just not used to seeing them.” 

She leaned in close to whisper in his ear, lips brushing the side of his face. “There’s a solution to that.”

 

====

 

Sasha placed the sash of Tim’s bathrobe over his eyes and knotted it behind his head. “Now then, where were we? Oh, I remember.” She pushed the robe off his shoulders to pool on the floor behind him and led him to sit on the bed.

She trailed her fingers down his chest, stopping to trace his scars as she went. His breath hitched more than once but he didn’t say anything. Tim reached for the drawer where he stashed his condoms but Sasha grabbed his hand before it got there. 

“Let me.”

“If you insist.” 

Sasha brushed her lips against his, running the fingers of one hand along the scars on his chest while the other rolled the condom down his length. He moaned into her mouth when she gave him a firm squeeze. 

She pumped his cock with long smooth motions as her lips moved from his mouth to his jaw and then down his arm, paying special attention to every scar they came across. Tim squirmed beneath her, caught between arousal and confusion. It was a delicate line she intended to walk for a while. 

It wasn’t until Sasha had made it through both arms and was partway down his chest that Tim tried to speak up. She placed a finger on his lips before he managed to form the words. 

“They suit you and I like them.” She scratched her nails down his chest, catching on several marks as she went. 

His head fell back with a groan and he didn’t try to speak again as she worshiped every scar she could find. 

She’d been teasing him long enough, it was time for the real fun. Sasha straddled his hips and slowly sank down onto his cock. After what she’d put him through she was worried he might come right away but Tim managed to hold off. Always the gentleman. 

It was very important he know where her hands were for her plan to work. She buried her fingers in his hair and anchoring herself to Tim as she rode his dick. Sasha let her form slip around the edges, just a bit, just enough that she could stretch herself to reach where a normal human couldn’t. 

She started slowly, just one at first, she pushed against a scar on his thigh, rocking from one side to the other. Tim’s hand left her hip to scratch but she had already moved onto the next one. She repeated the process, this time with two scars on the other side, a touch calculated to feel like movement, possibly underneath the skin. His rhythm faltered as he shook his leg free of the sensation. 

Before long, she was watching the distress work it’s way across what she could see of Tim’s face, subsuming the pleasure there. His rapid breathing had little to do with exertion as a panic attack closed around him. Moans turned to whimpers as Sasha tricked his body into thinking every healed scar was a live worm, writhing inside his flesh.

He tried to gasp her name but couldn’t get the air to stay in his lungs. His cock twitched and pulsed inside her as he finally managed to draw enough breath to scream. 

It was the most wonderful sound Sasha had heard in a long time.

 

====

 

Tim was grateful Sasha didn’t mention his panic attack or how he clung to her, sobbing into her chest, until long after he’d gone soft inside her. She just held him back, occasionally humming against the top of his head, until he managed to come back to himself enough to remove the tear soaked blindfold. 

Sasha helped him to the bathroom to get cleaned up without a word. He could hear her tidying away their dinner through the door. How did he get so lucky to find someone who cared so much about him? Any other of his past partners would have bolted at the earliest opportunity after a display like that. Though that probably said more about his preference for something more casual over a real relationship. 

Is that what this was? Was he in a relationship with Sasha? 

He couldn’t shake that thought as Sasha helped him back to his room and tucked him into bed. She’d even changed the sheets. Tim was wrung out on so many levels he wasn’t sure what was going on. 

Reaching out to the empty spot in his bed, Tim wished he’d found his voice in time to ask her to stay the night. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeets another chapter of rarepair monsterfucking no one asked for into the tag

Sasha started seeing Tim on a regular basis. Every time she fucked him she fucked  _ with _ him. Nothing quite as overt as triggering another panic attack, though that had been her favorite. Pain and fear were fast becoming associated with pleasure in his mind. He’d even begun to ask her, with shame threading through his voice, to do things that would frighten or hurt him when they were together, he wasn't able to come otherwise. 

Reluctantly (delightedly) she agreed to each of his new suggestions.

He still preferred to be blindfolded when they were intimate. Sasha indulged him, it was always the first thing she did.  There was something very satisfying in taking the sight from someone touched by Beholding. And it was nice to be able to stretch a bit when he wasn’t looking. 

Sometimes the went back to her place but tonight they were at Tim’s. He was sitting in a kitchen chair with his hands cuffed behind him. Before she slid the gag in place he asked where she’d gotten them. The shocked gasp he gave her made lifting them from Detective Tonner’s belt worth the risk. (Not that there was much of a chance the Hunter could actually harm Sasha but the table did weaken her somewhat

She let him sit there- blindfolded, cuffed, and gagged for over an hour, occasionally sending a subtle twinge through a worm scar or three. Sasha loved the way he squirmed; reeking of anticipation of what she might do. Better yet was the fear she might do nothing at all and leave him there with a half-hard cock and a growing puddle of drool on his chest. 

Sasha had to admit, the thought of leaving him there all night was tempting. 

But so was the knife in her hand. 

 

===

 

He moaned and twisted in the cuffs, bucking his hips upward trying and failing to find  _ some _ friction. The chair back was too high for him to work his arms over, not that he had leverage enough to stand and try it. He settled back in the chair with a frustrated grunt. 

He whined through his gag. All he had succeeded in doing was work himself back up to a full erection. He had dismissed thought that Sasha had left him to his own devices a while ago but it was back in full force. What if she  _ had _ left after all? Tim was beginning to panic. 

How long would he be stuck like this? 

All night? 

Would she come back for him if he didn’t show up for work the next day? If not, how long until someone heard him calling for help?

He choked back against the moan in his throat. As unpleasant as spending the night naked and cuffed naked to a chair would be, having his elderly neighbors find him like this would be worse. Tim let his head fall forward against his chest, squeezed his eyes shut behind the blindfold, and tried to bring his breathing back under control. 

The sensation of worms crawling under his skin momentarily overwhelmed him. He shuddered against the all too familiar feeling and fought against the cuffs to brush it away. The phantom pains were happening less often but when they did come were stronger and more insistent. Bound as he was, there was nothing he could do about it and no way to distract himself. It was just him, the pulse in his groin, and the worms that he  _ knows _ aren’t there. 

A quiet metal on metal sound pulled Tim from the spiral of anxiety that threatened to claim him. It took him a while to identify the noise but eventually he recognized the sound of someone sharpening a knife in his living room. He sobbed with relief, Sasha hadn’t left him.  

The sound stopped. 

Had he imagined it? Was he starting to hallucinate? He whimpered and pulled futilely at his restraints. 

Couch springs creaked followed by soft footsteps as Sasha finally approached him. She circled behind him and waited, only the sound of her breathing betrayed her presence. He could feel the precome dripping down his erection and shifted in his seat. 

Suddenly Sasha seized a fistful of his hair and wrenched his head back. He pulled against her, relishing the pain in his scalp, something that was  _ actually _ there. He jerked his head until he felt the blade at his throat. 

“That’s a good boy,” she purred.

He begged her through the gag to touch him,  _ please _ only to get another yank on his hair in response. He was so close and the pain was only sharpening his need. 

The knife disappeared from his throat as suddenly as it came. He thought Sasha might have abandoned him again until he heard the scrape of another chair on the floor behind him. There was a rattle of metal and his right hand was free of the cuffs. Before he had a chance to move, his left hand was pulled higher up behind him and secured to a cross brace on the back of the chair. 

Sasha settled in behind him, nuzzling into the crook of his neck. He brought his newly freed hand up to pull away the sopping cloth blocking his mouth only to have it smacked away. 

“Ah-ah,” she tutted, returning the knife point to the hollow of his throat and teasing it along his collarbone. “Certainly you can find a better use for that hand.” 

He let out a shuddering breath through his nose and slowly moved toward his lap ready to stop if he felt pressure from the knife. 

“That’s right, touch yourself.” She flicked the knife across his chest in a bright line of pain when he hesitated. “I won’t tell you again.” 

He whimpered as he closed his hand around his aching cock. Another cut to his chest halted the slow pumping he started.

“Don’t stop on my account.” 

The knife danced across his chest startling him with sharp pricks and slices as he worked himself up and down. Muffled yelps interspersed with the moans working their way past the gag. He was having trouble keeping up a rhythm, every time he settled into a pace he got another cut on his chest or arms. 

The wire in his gut pulled taught on the edge of snapping. Steel bit into his leg and Tim came in thick spurts with a grateful sob. He rode the wave of pain mingled euphoria until all that was left was the dull ache from the knife wounds. 

He furrowed his brow under the blindfold, he couldn’t tell where Sasha was. He hadn’t heard her leave but he might have been out of it for longer than he thought. His left arm was unshackled from the chair but the gag and blindfold were still in place. The thought that she might not be done with him made his cock twitch with renewed interest. 

Time passed in silence with no sign of Sasha. When he finally removed the blindfold the living room was dark. A first aid kit, towel, and bottle of water were laid out on the table in front of him. He pulled the gag down around his neck and called for Sasha.

No response. 

Her purse and coat were gone. 

Shame came crashing down around him. He’d been asking more and more of her lately. She’d gone to dark places for him without question but this must have been too far. He’d frightened her or she scared herself, either way, she didn't want to face him after what they’d just done. 

He couldn’t find it in himself to blame her. 

 

===

  
  


She didn’t try to avoid detection from the Archivist lurking in the bushes as she left Tim’s flat. Sasha kept her expression neutral as she passed, giving no indication she knew he was there. It was pathetic really, the shop window across from her clearly reflected him agonizing over if he should follow Sasha or stay to watch Tim. The rustling of leaves caused by his clumsy movements she pretended to ignore but spun around when he snapped a twig loudly underfoot. 

“Hello?” She called, peering into the darkness around her, not letting her eyes stop on the Archivist’s obvious hiding spot. “Is someone there?”

It was late and was perfectly natural for a woman out alone to be on high alert. She dug through her purse for the pepper spray Sasha bought when she moved to London- very practical, that Sasha- and scanned the area again before clutching her purse against her side and set off for the tube station. The Archivist stayed where he was and did not follow her. Too bad, she was looking forward to “accidentally” spraying her would be attacker. Oh well, maybe next time. 

Something would have to be done about the Archivist though. Her presence in the Eye’s stronghold was bound to be an itch in the back of his brain and he was finally starting to scratch. As much fun as revealing herself and tearing through every idiot human in the Institute would be, that would have to wait. There was still so much left to do. She needed to distract him and she knew just the person to do it. 

 

===

 

Sasha was jumpy and Tim couldn’t blame her after last night. Whenever he walked into the same room as her she would stiffen slightly. If he wasn’t looking out for it he would never have noticed. Her smile was there but it seemed… forced, her eyes flicking back and forth between him and the door whenever he tried to get her attention. 

After lunch he caught up with her at her desk. She accepted the coffee he handed her and set it down without taking a sip. So much for the peace offering. 

“Thanks for the coffee but I have a lot of work to do, I really should...”

Tim forced himself to take the plunge. “Sasha, about last night--”

“I, um… it’s fine.” 

“I don’t think it is.” 

She reached out to warm her hands on the coffee, the tips of her fingers playing with the paper sleeve. “Nothing is ever going to be ‘fine’ with us, Tim.” 

“I know,” Tim sighed. “I just wish you had stayed a little longer so we could have talked.” 

“Stayed? Tim, you asked me to leave.”

“I what? No, I... what?” 

“You asked me to leave,” she repeated. “After…” She glanced around to make sure no one was within earshot and lowered her voice. “When you finished you told me to get out. The knife-- It was a bad idea, I never should have-- So I set out everything I thought you would need, then I left like you asked.”

“But I didn’t--” Tim shook his head, last night was a blur. “Even if I did, it wasn’t because of you.” He pulled a chair over to her desk and lowered himself into it. “I’ve been… pretty messed up lately.”

“Yeah,” the left side of her mouth twitched upward for a moment, “I’d noticed.” She narrowed her eyes in concern and let out a long breath through her nose. “I feel like I’m finally seeing the real you. Not just the face you put on for everyone else to see and honestly, it scares me.” 

Tim winced at that. Sure he had developed some kinks that were on the extreme side but he didn’t think he’d changed as a person. Had he? 

Sasha pulled his hand into her own and stroked her thumb absentmindedly over one of his scars. “It’s not just you, Tim. It feels like, after Prentiss, everyone around here is changing.”  

Tim furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?”

“Jon, for one. Hasn’t he seemed, I dunno,” Sasha paused to glance over her shoulder in case their boss was lurking behind a shelving unit, “off to you lately?” 

“I can’t say that I’ve been paying that close of attention.” 

“Well you should. I thought I saw him the other day when I was out to lunch. It was just out of the corner of my eye, could have been someone who just looks a bit like him. I wouldn’t have given it a second thought except I saw him again last night. When I was leaving your place. He was hiding in the bushes like some kind of peeping tom.” 

Tim was dumbstruck. His boss was  _ spying _ on him. After everything they’d been through together? The betrayal took backseat to the flash of panic at the thought of Jon seeing him and Sasha together in the compromising ways they had been of late. Unlikely given he lives on the third floor of his building. He has never been so thankful for each and every one of those damned stairs. 

“Tim?” Sasha prodded. 

“Sorry, I just… Wow, I’ve known Jon for years and I never thought he would do something like that.” 

“You don’t believe me.” 

“No, it’s not that, I just… I’ll need to keep a closer eye on him.” 

“That’s all I ask.” She squeezed his hand and planted a tender kiss on his forehead. 

  
  



End file.
